


Sharing More

by WitchWayWizardry



Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Comrades in Arms, Consent is Sexy, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, Loneliness, Outdoor Sex, mutual respect, non-canon backstory, sexual healing, stronger together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 17:23:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11189829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WitchWayWizardry/pseuds/WitchWayWizardry
Summary: After escaping to Gran Pulse, and spending several days devoted to exploration, the Pulse l'Cie find themselves living with a strange kind of safety after days of fighting and fleeing execution.  With a little less to worry about, Lightning Farron ironically finds herself with more on her mind: feelings and memories she'd be more comfortable burying.  She's not used to sharing, but these are strange days and even stranger circumstances.  And the wisdom of a good friend leads them both to share even more with each other.





	Sharing More

Lightning dragged the edge of her blade over the surface of the sharpening stone again and again. Pulling from hilt to tip, keeping the pressure from her free hand consistent along the entire length. The Blazefire Sabre wasn’t the type of weapon to grow dull easily, but it had seen its share of violence and use these past few days. If anything, it was just something to keep herself occupied. Lightning was alone at the base camp; the location was nestled in a deep canyon on Gran Pulse near the remains of their downed airship. Fang and Vanille were off somewhere, again. Snow and Hope had gone off to explore the southern wilds, picking up where Snow and Lightning herself had left off the previous day. Sazh was on a supply run further up north, and the little chocobo chick that resided in Sazh’s hair had surprisingly elected to go exploring with Snow and Hope. This left Lightning with watching over the camp, and while Lightning prided herself on being strong in her solitude, lately, circumstances seemed to have changed.

She set her weapon aside with a weary sigh and absently rubbed her eyes; trying to swipe away the memories and images that seemed to crop up these last few days. Ever since their sudden departure and arrival in this untamed and dangerous land, Lightning felt herself growing stronger and stronger, and saw her friends becoming the same, but still the memories would sneak up on her. Memories of masked faces, and weapons brandished toward her, and those same weapons falling to the ground as she carved her way through the countless men and women who opposed her. Lightning couldn’t shake them.

Lightning turned her head towards the sky; only a sliver was visible and it was framed by the walls of the canyon rising high as if to touch it. Last night, that sky was covered by angry, dark clouds and water fell from the sky. As Lightning and the men huddled under the wreckage of the airship, Vanille and Fang were exposed to the deluge. They were laughing and dancing and getting absolutely soaked. Apparently, rain was always a cause for celebration for folks of Gran Pulse, even in times of plenty and bountiful harvest, because you never knew when the world would change. There was always rain a plenty on Cocoon; they always wanted for nothing there. Lightning stretched out her hand like she did last night, remembering the feel of the rain on her skin. The water was real and pure; it didn’t feel artificial and recycled like the rain on Cocoon. That sensation pulled Lightning out under the torrent herself, and she just stood there, letting the shower pour over her and wash every unwanted thought away. But now those thoughts were creeping back into her mind. And her sword was already as sharp as it was going to be.

Lightning turned at the sound of approaching voices. Never one for pleasantries, Lightning gathered her gunblade and began walking away as the voices, and their owners, reached the camp.

“Hey, Light!” Hope called out to her.

“I’m going to the waterfall,” Lightning responded, “Watch the camp.”

“But, don’t you want to know what we found?” Hope sounded excited.

“It’s okay, Hope,” Snow said, “We’ll tell everyone when they get back.”

Whatever they found, it was most likely something fantastic and foreign; something that would make Hope react like an excited child rather than the mature young man he worked so hard to appear as. Lightning thought about many things. She worked her way through the canyon’s length, using her superior speed to dash through the flowering slugs and the sickly yellow flan-type monsters. Fighting was always easier with a teammate, but like Fang and Snow, Lightning was strong enough or fast enough now to handle the small creatures that surrounded their camp. But Lightning didn’t want to fight; the monsters weren’t much of a threat anyway.

Lightning thought about Serah, entombed in a shimmering crystal cast that would last forever. Or so Lightning believed. Now, she clung desperately to the hope that Serah would awaken: the promised day that kept Snow moving forward, and when the fal’Cie had use for Serah again. Lightning thought of her family, dead for years now, but on her mind nevertheless. She wondered if she could ever be human again. The l’Cie compatriots took the chance to journey to Gran Pulse to learn if their brands, their curse, could be undone. Still, Lightning always suspected that it was all futile; that the fal’Cie Bartandelus, puppet master of Cocoon’s destruction, only allowed them passage to the lower world to make them stronger and stronger.

Lightning slowed her pace to a jog as the sound of falling water reached her ears. The waterfall was near and there usually weren’t any monsters around it. The sparkling water rushed over the wall of the canyon, to gather in a quiet pool that would slowly drain down a now-exposed cliffside, opposite the waterfall. Lightning slowly made her way over mossy boulders and let the gentle spray cling to her face. It felt different from the rain last night, but still, it was far purer water than any she felt on Cocoon. Behind the waterfall was an alcove, private and conveniently dry, if you go far enough in. Lightning and her friends discovered it during their exploration, and they had left a few torches to light the muddled darkness. Lightning beckoned the fire within, drawing from the crystal at her heart and the brand at her breast. She felt her body warm as the heat crept along her arm and to her fingertips. Lightning’s use of magic had grown far more diverse and versatile than her companions; she could call terrible storms and raging torrents as well as Hope and Vanille. But, she could also channel all of the elements through her blade and bullets, causing their enemies to crumble faster than any of her friends. But she didn’t need to throw the fire now. She just let the flames dance on her fingertips, watching the miracle burn without harming her, and then touched the magical blaze to the torch in her other hand. The tool took light and Lightning struck it between two stones. With a sigh, she unbuckled the belts resting high about her waist, and pulled at the zipper that secured her bullet-proof armor at her throat. The fabric slipped free from her sweaty skin and exposed the black and red bundle of lines and arrows over her left breast. The brand of a Pulse l’Cie was still partially obscured by her bra, but the raised symbol, so like a living thing itself, felt the clothing stripped away and seemed to quiver in the exposed air. Lightning pulled off the glove on her right hand and gently pressed on the image, feeling a perverse kind of heat, unnatural and uncaring. The brand may have felt alive somehow, but it and the god that seared it to her flesh didn’t care about her one bit. She was alone.

\-------------------

Sazh was exhausted, but he was also successful. He carried one heaping load over his shoulder, stuffed full of mushrooms and herbs that Vanille had described and drawn for him to collect. And the other was packed with the meat of a vicious monster, that Sazh was lucky enough to get the drop on; killing and skinning it without trouble. All that was left was to collect the water from the falls and return to camp. Nightfall was still hours away, but Sazh was glad to have the chance to relax before light’s out. No doubt his young charges had news they were excited to share.

Sazh chuckled to himself and shook his head. He called them his charges, like they were his responsibility, but Snow was more of a guardian to the group, with Lightning and Fang as their fierce, unstoppable protectors. And everyone, even Fang, turned to Lightning when it came to strategy in battle; she had the most training after all. Still, Sazh was a father, and so he thought he should act his age and keep them all safe as best he could. As a way to make amends. As a way to keep his mind off of losing his son. Dajh. Only six years old, and immortally imprisoned in crystal due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sazh had forgiven Vanille and Fang for the accidental part they played in his son’s fate, but Sazh still had not forgiven himself.

Snow kept reminding him that if his beloved fiancée would wake from crystal sleep, like Vanille and Fang, then so will Dajh, but Sazh wasn’t sure. Sure, he had hope, and he could dream of being with his son again, but since his wife died three years ago, Sazh had become more of a realist. Something’s were just impossible. But Sazh promised his little boy to be happy and smile more, and Sazh found a group of kids who made him smile, unconsciously, again and again. They made him believe things could work out; they were l’Cie after all. They could do the impossible.

Sazh hastily dropped his burdens as the waterfall came into view. He dropped to the pool and cupped handfuls of water to quench his parched throat. He didn’t realize how thirsty he was. And with the clarity of rehydration settling in, he didn’t realize how sweaty he was. Sazh recollected his spoils from hunting and gathering, and carried them closer to the water, hiding them amongst the stones and blanketing their scent from passing creatures with the scentless waterfall. Sazh hastily pulled off his boots and socks and stepped into the shallow reservoir, stretching his arms high and loosening stiff muscles. His clothes seemed to melt off, despite being sticky with sweat, and the bracingly cold waterfall felt magical on his naked skin. Water ran in rivers over his head, masking all sound and distraction, save for one nagging noise that seemed to be repeating over and over. It seemed to sound like his name: “Sazh, Sazh, SAZH!”

The half-shout shook him from his cleansing trance and there he saw Lightning, wearing a practical bra and the black shorts beneath her combat skirt, crouched over the water with her dirty clothes half submerged. Sazh stood there, uncomprehendingly, until Lightning raised her eyebrows pointedly behind her rose-colored bangs.

“Lightning!”

Sazh hurriedly and embarrassingly covered his nakedness and dashed from under the waterfall, away from the cave. He comically ran through the shallow water to grab his pants, muttering and swearing under his breath. He fumbled with the first leg of his pants, but the second was easier, only for the zipper to give him trouble.

“Sazh?”

Lightning had come out from the cave; still undressed, with her arms crossed. She didn’t look offended, but Sazh thought he could see a slight hint of embarrassment in her eyes, when he chanced a look around.

“I’m, I’m sorry, Lightning,” Sazh apologized, “I should’ve…”

“It’s okay, Sazh,” Lightning interrupted him, “Nothing I haven’t seen before anyways.”

Lightning’s face turned the same shade as her hair at her words, and she hastily turned away, stammering.  
“You, you can wash up, just, well, you know…”

She hurried back behind the waterfall, and Sazh considered his options. Seeing her there, in the torchlight, barely clothed; and him, naked under a water fall. He felt himself getting aroused despite the cold of the water. And seeing the fearless warrior get embarrassed was just as confusing as well. Sazh collected his shirt and socks, leaving his boots by the successes of his hunt, and tentatively followed Lightning in to the cave.

She was crouched again, vigorously scrubbing at her cream-colored top, with the soap Vanille had mixed with ingredients around their base camp. She barely looked up as Sazh knelt down away from her, and lowered his shirt into the water as well. They washed their clothes in silence, with Sazh sneaking glances, but never seeing Lightning sneak her own.

“So,” Sazh spoke up to lighten the mood, “Nothing you haven’t seen before, huh?”

Lightning paused from her cleaning to shoot him one of her signature looks.

“Sazh…” She warned him with one word.

“Hey, I’m just as embarrassed as you are, here,” Sazh said defensively, “I’m just trying to make a little light of it.”

Lightning sighed and shook her head.

“I know,” She admitted, “I’m sorry.”

“If we were anyone else, we might have laughed about it already.”

“Pretty pathetic, huh?”

Lightning sounded disappointed. In herself? Sazh couldn’t tell, but clearly there was something on her mind. At the start of their adventure, Lightning had admitted to him a few days ago, her cold and distant behavior was a cry for help, for someone to knock some sense into her. What did this new, unfamiliar behavior of Lightning mean?

“Why pathetic?”

Lightning was silent; she looked at his face, down at the l’Cie brand on his exposed chest, over his shoulder at the flickering torch. In the end, she collected her skirt from the ground and began washing it while shaking her head again.

“Never mind, forget it.”

Sazh was struck by memories; memories of his late wife. She would always do the same thing. Search all around the room, as if looking for the words in the environment itself. Finding nothing, Sazh’s wife would always change the subject, and Sazh learned that was a signal to press on. Sazh realized that Lightning might be more like Nina than he ever thought.

“You remind me of my wife, you know,” Lightning looked up, surprised, “Just now, I never realized it, but in a way you remind me of Nina.”

“Nina,” Lightning repeated, “You don’t talk much about her.”

“I know,” Sazh nodded, “It’s become a character flaw of mine; even Dajh knows it. All he wanted was for me to smile more. Like I did when his mom was still alive.”

“And I remind you of her?” Lightning didn’t sound convinced.

“Only just now, when you didn’t want to talk. She used to do that. But otherwise, you’re nothing alike. She was loud and always smiling; she saw life as one big party. Believe it or not, I was serious one in our marriage.”

“I can believe that,” Lightning chuckled, “How did you meet?”

Sazh’s eyes glazed over as the memories overtook him.

“I was an airship pilot, commercial and private, wherever there was work to be had, and Nina was the best damn airship mechanic on Cocoon. Used to say the rigs would talk to her, tell her what was wrong or how to be better. She often worked under contract for PSICOM, and they paid her well for her work. She was brilliant, and always looked her best covered in oil and grime.”

Sazh lowered his head as the memories of his wife turned tragic.

“She died in a workplace accident. Faulty something-or-other caused some heavy piece of machinery to fall just where she happened to be working.”

“I’m so sorry, Sazh,” She meant it; Sazh knew Lightning had lost loved ones too.

“Me too,” Sazh wiped the gathering tears from his eyes, “Me too.”

They sat in silence, neither looking toward the other, with only the sound of the water and the torch to occupy the space. 

“How long has it been?” Lightning asked, eventually.

“Oh,” Sazh responded, “Three years.”

“And have you been able to, I guess, move on, find anyone new?”

“No,” Sazh said, “No, I haven’t.”

“Well, it’s been longer than three years for me, too,” Lightning shared, “Serah and I lost our mother when I was teenager, but Serah was barely ten, and our father died when I was seventeen. I made the decision to finish high school early, so I could get a job and support Serah and keep her out of the system. But when my father died, I wasn’t immediately so responsible. I acted out. I wish I hadn’t, but our father left us some money, and we survived through my… mistakes.”

“Mistakes?” Sazh asked.

“There was boy at school; he was obsessed with me. Followed me around like a puppy dog. He never acted on whatever he felt for me, but if it was obvious to me, the entire school knew too. When my father was buried, Serah was surrounded by her friends and I was alone. But still, he was there, to give his condolences. Serah was crying into the arms of her friends, and I took that boy into a closet and… I told him that it didn’t mean anything; I said I was just giving him what he wanted. I even told him that it wouldn’t happen again. That was a lie.

“I cut classes, I shoplifted, I stayed out all night while Serah was alone at home, and I did it all with him. Still following me around like a puppy dog, and every single time I used him. He never said no, he never tried to stop me; he looked so damn happy when I would take his clothes off and hold him down. We would always be in the shadows. In a bathroom, a closet, an attic, wherever we shouldn’t be. I wouldn’t kiss him. Not until the last time, when he kissed me. That’s when it got too real.

“So, I tested out of school and joined the Corps. I didn’t tell him; I never saw him again. Serah told me when I was in training that he asked about me, but I never wanted to see him again.”

Sazh watched as Lightning scooped some water into her hand and rubbed the moisture into her neck. The woman, who never shared anything about her past before, sighed as the revelations continued. 

“It’s funny, but when I was alone with Hope after we separated in the scrapyards, he would sleep as I kept watch. Hope looks nothing like the boy from school, but watching him sleep, I thought of that boy. I was a fugitive who had just declared war on the world, but watching Hope sleep, I wanted to tell that boy I was sorry. Sorry for hurting him. Sorry for being cruel.”

When Lightning fell silent and resumed her washing clothes, Sazh cleared his throat while continuing his own washing.

“Do you really think it was cruel?” He asked Lightning.

“Well, what would you call it?” She responded under her breath.

“You said that you were acting out, but I think it was you needing someone to need you, to help you heal from losing your entire family.”

“I still had Serah,” Lightning protested.

“But you were pushing her away,” Sazh argued, “And you were clinging to this boy, who never said no, and seemed to be enjoying himself, to help you come to grips with a terrible situation. You never hurt him, and he never protested, so I wouldn’t say you were cruel.”

“But to him, I just disappeared without an explanation!” Lightning was getting angry at Sazh’s innate perception.

“Then,” Sazh calmly offered, “Feel bad about that. Because yeah, he probably didn’t feel too great about losing you with no explanation. And yeah, that was rude and cruel. So, feel bad about that, but with something consensual, that helped you heal, even it was purely physical, you shouldn’t have to apologize for that.”

Sazh continued his scrubbing of his black shirt and olive jacket, aware that Lightning had stopped and was most likely thinking about what he had said. He did feel a little proud of himself, giving a nugget of sage advice like that. But that pride turned to confusion as he heard Lightning’s next word.

“Pants.”

Sazh looked up to see Lightning standing with a hand outstretched in his direction.

“Uh…” Sazh voiced, puzzled.

“My clothes are done and you’re going to be here all night if you only do one article at a time by yourself, so hand over the pants and we’ll get this done faster.”

There was an odd tone in her words, hidden deep under the commanding voice he was so familiar with. All the same, Sazh got to his feet, and while looking just to the left of Lightning’s eyes he slowly moved to unfasten his pants. He felt Lightning watching him as he bent over slightly to slide the legs down over his own; she watched him as he sat to pull his feet back through the holes. He handed them up to Lightning, now wearing his underwear like her. She took the pants into her possession, but rather than starting to wash them, she ran her thumb over the button, pensively staring at the appendage as she did so.

“So, what you’re saying is that sex can be beneficial?” Lightning asked.

Sazh froze, staring up at her in apprehension.

“Therapeutic?” Lightning asked again, looking to him finally, with an expression akin to grief.

“Lightning,” Sazh stood to stand eye-to-eye with his friend, “I did say that, but…”

She kissed him then; her lips barely brushed against his, but he didn’t jump back, and she didn’t try to kiss him again. Lightning lifted a hand to rest against the brand on Sazh’s chest. Her middle finger rested in the valley between his pectorals. He couldn’t mistake the rushing of his heartbeat, or that Lightning just kept staring at his lips.

“I was never any good at that,” Lightning confessed, “Skipped right over kissing for… well…”

To hell with it all, Sazh thought and kissed her back. His wasn’t light; his didn’t hesitate. And as Sazh parted his lips, Lightning proved herself a quick study. Kissing is instinctual, after all. They kissed and kissed and kissed until their breaths were expired. Sazh missed kissing another woman; all he had kissed in three years was the forehead of his son before bed. 

“Do you want to?” Sazh rephrased the question, “I mean, are you sure?”

Lightning nodded with her eyes still focused on his lips. She licked her own before meeting his eyes.

“Do you?”

His answer was to brush her rose-colored hair from her shoulder and start kissing her neck. She sighed and let him explore her until a black bra strap impeded his journey. Sazh reached behind Lightning’s back, following old memories to find the clasp. Once the garment was freed, Lightning, with an unprecedented air of demure modesty, slowly pulled her shoulders and arms from the straps and then let the cups fall. Sazh stared in wonder at her shapely breasts, the reality of not beholding a pair for so long finally hitting him. Lightning tossed the undergarment aside and stepped forward, breaking his focus on her chest with another kiss. This kiss was more assured and her tongue began to realize its role, its use. Sazh’s hand found its way to a breast, the left one that the Pulse fal’Cie branded and sighed into their kiss as the soft sensation further awakened his desire.

Lightning’s hands were exploring too, and as they trailed down Sazh’s stomach, impressed at his musculature considering his age, she pulled Sazh closer by the hips, feeling his growing erection through his briefs. Lightning rubbed her palm against the fabric, against his still-engorging length, and breathed a harsh sigh as Sazh dipped his head and began to kiss, tickle and lick her hardening nipples. Sazh’s hands mirrored her own as he reached down for her shorts and began searching for a way in. But Lightning didn’t let him in, not then, not yet.

Sazh had been focused too much on her; it reminded her of that boy from school. Lightning made their trysts all about her, but Sazh was a friend. Sazh was an ally, a comrade, and a true friend. This was supposed to be beneficial, therapeutic, for both of them.

Lightning took both of Sazh’s hands in hers, moved them behind his back, but banished any worried expression of his, fearful of moving too fast, as she began to peel off the wet fabric of his briefs bit by bit. She knelt down as Sazh’s hard and sizable organ bounced free of its confines. Lightning took the appendage in her grip as Sazh hissed out a sigh.

“Aw, we’re getting serious now, huh?” Sazh asked, barely over the sound of the falls.

Lightning kissed the head of Sazh’s penis; she ran her tongue over the length and encircled the loose flap of foreskin. Sazh’s cock was long and thick, more so than the boy from school, so Lightning took her time to learn about it, to learn about Sazh, and from what she was hearing from above, he certainly didn’t mind. Lightning took Sazh into her mouth, again and again, as much as she could. Her lips and tongue and warm, wet breath made Sazh moan long and loud. He reached back to brace himself against the wall of the alcove and unconsciously began to buck his hips forward. Lightning looked up to see Sazh looking down; she was pleased with what she saw and with one hand wrapped around his legs to rest on his buttocks, the other she reached up to rub tenderly against his chest and torso. Sazh caught that hand in his free one and lowered his head to take Lightning’s fingers in his mouth. He tickled the digits and muffled his moans as Lightning closed her eyes at the sensation and focused on her work.

Now Sazh, as all his friends had come to know, was the generous type. And Lightning soon learned that this generosity wasn’t limited to his supportive spells cast in combat. When Sazh felt his balls tighten and his length harden in that telltale manner, he abruptly pulled back from Lightning’s mouth and helped lift her to her feet.

“Sazh,” Lightning started to say.

That is before Sazh resumed his exploration of her body, kissing her breasts, her stomach, and her waist until he was kneeling at Lightning’s feet like she had been moments before. He kicked off the briefs at his ankles and focused on removing hers. Once her womanhood was exposed, Sazh leaned in and kissed the hooded bud, drawing a quickened gasp from above him. Sazh took one of Lightning’s hands and guided her forward as he leaned back. With his body supported by the soft moss of a large stone, Sazh had Lightning bring one leg forward and her hands against the wall, to have her glory unobstructed for his access. Sazh gently breathed her in, and let the sprinkling of fine, pink hairs tickle his nose. He tentatively licked up with his tongue, savoring every part of her, remembering the taste and the complexity of a woman’s sex. 

“Sazh,” Lightning said again, her voice husky and wanton.

He used his fingers to awaken the moisture within her. He teased her lips with his hand and his tongue. He pressed his whole mouth against her opening and feasted upon her, all the while gently stroking his own sex, keeping it hard but not undone. Lightning shuddered above him, her moans and cried growing steadily louder and quicker. Feeling her approaching climax, Lightning moved as if to stop him as he stopped her, but Sazh was persistent. Lightning relented to Sazh’s will as one long finger found its way to her sweet spot and his tongue lapped at her clit. Her orgasm was a quiet one, so much like her, but the waves of pleasure made her whole body tremble, and made Sazh smile victorious against her sex.

Consumed by passion, once the sensation ebbed, Lightning crouched over Sazh’s waist and kissed him deeply, tasting herself on his lips. As she lightly grinded over his member, Sazh’s body recalled any erection that might have been lost. He was so hard, but Lightning’s body occupied his hands. Her lips distracted his lips. Her hands were exploring his body and his hands played with her breasts or pulled her nearer at the small of her back. Lightning reached down with one hand to rub against herself and use her wetness to slick his cock, getting him ready. But Sazh was so hard and her touch was so gentle that he was sure he’d climax as soon as he breached her.

Lightning used her hand to guide Sazh toward her opening, and as she eased herself down to encircle and engulf his length, Sazh held off his orgasm only by focusing on the intensity of Lightning’s eyes. She stared into him with a passion and a connectedness that he never dreamed she was capable of. In that moment, though he knew this of her as a comrade, Sazh realized that Lightning was just a woman. A human being with dreams and goals that had been put on hold due to tragedy and responsibility who lost all that she loved in the world just like he had. As she slowly began to rock against him, pulling herself up off of him and falling back down again with controlled grace, Sazh pulled her close and kissed her, to ease her sorrow and acknowledge his own.

They remained in this position, gaining momentum and sounding their moans and gasps, but always watching each other, unspoken save for wordless kisses. Sazh held on to Lightning’s hips as he guided her, brushing again and again against her sweet spot. Lightning rested her lithe form against Sazh’s own. Her softness and her hardness made his eyes roll back and his hips to buckle again and again. As the inescapable end drew unavoidably near, Sazh whispered the truth in Lightning’s ear and helped her climb off of him. It only took three hard jerks from his hand to finish him, and Sazh cried out his orgasm in a flurry of loud bursts. The streams of ejaculate arched through the air and landed in trails along his chest. Lightning watched their passage, breathing heavily and smiling slightly. As Sazh quieted and his erection faded, Lightning stood on relatively shaky legs and offered her hand down to Sazh. He took it and let Lightning help him to his feet.

She guided him under the falls and they stood together, gently scrubbing their skin of sweat and sex, not speaking as it was not necessary. Sazh finished his shower second and shook the water from his hair to see Lightning already dressed. She darted past him, narrowly missing the falling water, and noted the supplies Sazh had collected.

“Don’t forget those,” She pointed to them and said.

Sazh let the unspoken agreement be noted with a nod. The others did not need to know about what happened; it would only make things awkward. And knowing Lightning, nothing had really changed between her and Sazh; she still only saw their relationship as friends and allies. Sazh wanted it to stay that way too.

“I haven’t,” He assured her.

“I’ll head back and help get the camp set for dinner,” Lightning remarked.

“Sure,” Sazh agreed, “I’ll be by in a bit. And I’d appreciate it if you cleared out some of the nasties on your way back.”

“Right.”

Lightning turned to leave, paused, and turned back to Sazh, still watching her from around the waterfall. She smiled fondly at the memory they had made together and waved a hand briefly in temporary farewell.

“Thanks, Sazh.”

“You too.”

With that, the warrior turned on her heel and hopped over large stones to dart around the corner back to camp. Sazh sighed with some semblance of contentedness when Lightning had gone. He slipped on the rest of his clothes and gathered up the supplies. He began walking back but a distant beast-like cry brought a pistol into his free hand. Noting the sound’s distance, Sazh resumed his trek back to base with a smile, with the pistol still at the ready. It was Gran Pulse, after all.


End file.
